About Us

What we do

Meet Our Team

Mission, Vision, & Values

NAMI Spokane offers hope and health for people who are experiencing mental health concerns and their families today, as we work to build a stigma-free tomorrow. Our education programs, support groups, and advocacy are offered at no cost to participants, and are all peer-led, by someone who has walked the same path.

Our Mission

NAMI Spokane is dedicated to empowering all who have been affected by mental illness, through advocacy, awareness, education, and support.

Our Vision

A world where all those impacted by mental health conditions know they are not alone and are empowered to live their most fulfilling lives.

Our Values

Community, Compassion and Courage

We Have the Power to Impact People’s Lives, by Working Together.

Meet the NAMI Spokane Team

Everything we do is led by people who have been there too. You are not alone.

Our Staff

Chauntelle Lieske, Executive Director

chauntelle@namispokane.org

Robert Lang, Resource Navigator

robert@namispokane.org

Amanda Kaplan, Program Coordinator

amanda@namispokane.org

Our Board of Directors

Tamara Sheehan, President

This is Olivette Orme’s second term on NAMI Spokane’s Board of Directors. She first served from 2015 to 2018. She was born and raised in eastern North Carolina, attended high school in Richmond, Virginia then spent a year in the Netherlands as an exchange student with the American Field Service. She returned to North Carolina where she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1976. After a two years back in Richmond as the Executive Director of Richmond’s arts festival, June Jubilee, she moved West in 1980 work as the Executive Director of the Utah Arts Festival in Salt Lake City. There, she fell in love: with the West and with her husband, Eric, a Salt Lake native. They moved to Spokane in 1988 and raised three children, two sons and a daughter. Olivette discovered NAMI as a result of their youngest child who was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder when she was 13. She became a Family-to-Family teacher in 2014. Olivette has served on the Boards of Directors for Planned Parenthood and Saint George’s School and currently also serves on the Board for NAMI Washington. She is passionate about NAMI’s mission and excited to help build its capacity to serve the many in our community who live with mental illness as well as the families and friends who love them.

Olivette Orme, Secretary

Heidi Curnow, Vice President

Jonathan Bailey, Treasurer

Jenae Ball, Member-at-Large

Linda has lived in Spokane for over 35 years. She grew up in Seattle, majored in Spanish at the University of Washington and spent a year at the University of Madrid. In the 70’s she worked several years for the Girl Scouts, organizing troops and managing volunteers in Central and South Seattle. Linda moved to Spokane with her future husband, Tim, after getting an MBA. She worked in financial analysis over the course of 25 years at four community banks while raising two sons and a daughter. Her career wrapped up in 2015 after she’d spent several years as SVP/Treasurer at AmericanWest Bank. Linda became involved with NAMI Spokane after her younger son was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2011. She and Tim attended a NAMI Family-to-Family course and Linda served on the NAMI Spokane board from 2016 to 2018. Her community involvement includes Transitions where she served as Board Chair from 2015 to 2017. Linda strongly believes in NAMI’s mission and wants to work in extending the reach of NAMI Spokane as it increases programs to serve a broader part of our community. Heidi Curnow

Linda Williams, Member-at-Large

Rob McKinney, Member-at-Large

Shane Garcia, Member-at-Large

Amy Griesel, Member-at-Large

Chauntelle Lieske

Executive Director

Chauntelle has a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Delaware and comes to NAMI Spokane from Safe Passage in Coeur d'Alene, ID where she served as the Executive Director beginning in 2017. She started her work in the field of domestic and sexual violence as a criminal advocate on the Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Team supporting survivors within the criminal justice system. While still at the YWCA of Spokane, Chauntelle worked as the Associate Director of Legal Services before moving to Safe Passage as their Program Director. At Safe Passage, she was quickly promoted to Executive Director where she focused her efforts on building positive relationships with stakeholders and community members in order to strengthen the impact of their services.

Chauntelle has a passion for serving her community and ensuring all members have access to support and services. Her work with survivors sparked her desire in working with those living with mental health conditions. The long-term impact of trauma on survivors was often misunderstood leaving survivors with untreated mental health. In 2014 Chauntelle lost her mother to suicide and knew she was being called to help raise awareness around those living with mental health conditions. Chauntelle is passionate about the mission of NAMI Spokane and excited to ensure Spokane is building ways to support those living with mental health conditions while reducing the stigma surrounding mental health.

Robert Lang

Resource Navigator

Robert was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. He recently completed six years active duty at Fairchild Air Force Base, and will be pursuing his MSW through Eastern Washington University in the fall.

Having fought his own battles with mental health and losing a friend to suicide, Robert knew NAMI was a good fit. Thankfully, they felt the same way! Robert’s goal is to help those in need navigate the complex landscape of the mental health system.

Robert is driven to destigmatize mental health regardless of age, identity, or political differences. When not pursuing that goal, Robert is making waves in the local agricultural scene of Spokane.

Amanda Kaplan, JD

Program Coordinator

Amanda was born and raised in Western Washington. She obtained her undergraduate degree at the University of Washington in Seattle and moved to Spokane to attend Gonzaga University School of Law where she received her JD in 2019. Amanda has a background in social justice and is passionate about working to remove the many biases and stigmas that people face throughout their lives.

Amanda’s passion for sharing knowledge and creating an inclusive community brought her to NAMI Spokane in April of 2021. Having had her own battles with anxiety and depression, she hopes to show students and community members that they are not alone and can achieve anything they set their minds to.

Amanda is a proud Washingtonian and is dedicated to making Washington a more welcoming and inclusive place where everyone can thrive. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and of course, binge-watching her favorite shows.

Tamara Sheehan

President

Tamara Sheehan is the Providence Regional Director for Behavioral Health for Eastern Washington. Her work targets Eastern Washington and also working on behavioral health initiatives throughout Washington State and Western Montana. Tamara has been a nurse in the Spokane Providence system since 2001 and was called to the field of behavioral health in 2013, which she says quickly became her passion. In the variety of her nursing experiences, she has witnessed firsthand the challenges of stigma and disparity issues experienced by those in our community trying to obtain the care they need. It is Tamara’s goal to work with others in the community and with organizations like NAMI to help address the very real stigma and disparity issues.

In her free time, Tamara enjoys taking advantage of the wonderful Northwest outdoor activities. If you ask her what her favorite outdoor activity is, she won’t skip a beat to let you know she enjoys golfing and will get out anywhere, anytime she can.

Olivette Orme

Secretary

This is Olivette Orme’s second term on NAMI Spokane’s Board of Directors. She first served from 2015 to 2018. She was born and raised in eastern North Carolina, attended high school in Richmond, Virginia then spent a year in the Netherlands as an exchange student with the American Field Service. She returned to North Carolina where she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1976. After two years back in Richmond as the Executive Director of Richmond’s arts festival, June Jubilee, she moved West in 1980 to work as the Executive Director of the Utah Arts Festival in Salt Lake City. There, she fell in love: with the West and with her husband, Eric, a Salt Lake native. They moved to Spokane in 1988 and raised three children, two sons, and a daughter. Olivette discovered NAMI as a result of their youngest child who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she was 13. She became a Family-to-Family teacher in 2014. Olivette has served on the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood and Saint George’s School and currently also serves on the Board for NAMI Washington. She is passionate about NAMI’s mission and excited to help build its capacity to serve the many in our community who live with mental illness as well as the families and friends who love them.

Heidi Curnow

Vice President

Heidi has called Spokane home for most of her life. She grew up in Walla Walla before attending the University of Idaho where she earned her Bachelors of Science in Communication & Public Relations. She is currently the Member Experience and MarCom Operations Manager for Numerica Credit Union and has over 25 years of marketing experience working for a variety of industries.

Heidi believes in the mission and purpose of NAMI, and intends to use her marketing and communications experience to help raise awareness for the NAMI Spokane programs that provide education, support, and advocacy for those impacted by mental illness. Heidi and her husband have two children; enjoy being on the water and exploring the Pacific Northwest.

Jonathan Bailey

Treasurer

Jon was born and raised in southwest Ohio. He is a graduate with a Master of Business Administration from The Ohio State University and holds a Bachelor of Administration degree in Business from Ohio University. He has over 16 years of career experience in the Financial Services industry and is currently the Investment Portfolio Manager for Banner Bank. Jon has recently become involved with NAMI and he believes strongly in our mission and purpose in empowering all those who have been impacted by mental health conditions. He hopes to use his career experience for the advocacy of NAMI Spokane.

Jon moved to Spokane in 2012 and fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and all the outdoor activities. Jon loves endurance sports, cycling, skiing and is a two time Ironman finisher. Jon is married to his wife Brenda, and he has two kids who are 7 years and 19 months old.

Jenae Ball

Member-At-Large

Jenae Ball is recognized as one of the leading employment lawyers in the greater Northwest. She is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell. Washington Super Lawyers designated her a Rising Star from 2014 to 2018. She is rated as one of the top employment attorneys in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene Living Magazine from 2013 to 2021, and she has received a 10.0 Superb Rating from avvo.com.

Ms. Ball is the immediate Past President of the Spokane County Bar Association, is the Chair of the SCBA Task Force on Systemic Racism in our Regional Justice System, serves on the Washington State Bar Association’s Access to Justice Conference Planning Committee, serves on the Standing Advisory Committee for the Volunteer Lawyer’s Program, is a member of the Diversity Section and the Washington State Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section and provides legal counsel to a number of regional boards.

She is the author of Employment in Washington, A Guide to Employment Laws, Regulations and Practices, 2014 – 2016 updates. Ms. Ball routinely provides training and seminars on strategies for proactively minimizing the risk of discrimination and harassment lawsuits. She is a frequent presenter at continuing legal education seminars and is a guest lecturer at Gonzaga University School of Law.

Ms. Ball and her husband, Lt. Col. Ret. Anthony Ball, call Spokane home, where they rear their two young boys and their dog, Dolly. In her free time, Ms. Ball enjoys spending time with her family and friends, alpine skiing, relaxing at Diamond Lake, running, cooking, reading and walking Dolly. She also enjoys bad reality TV.

Linda Williams

Member-at-large

Linda has lived in Spokane for over 35 years. She grew up in Seattle, majored in Spanish at the University of Washington, and spent a year at the University of Madrid. In the 70’s she worked several years for the Girl Scouts, organizing troops and managing volunteers in Central and South Seattle.

Linda moved to Spokane with her future husband, Tim, after getting an MBA. She worked in financial analysis over the course of 25 years at four community banks while raising two sons and a daughter. Her career wrapped up in 2015 after she’d spent several years as SVP/Treasurer at AmericanWest Bank.

Linda became involved with NAMI Spokane after her younger son was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2011. She and Tim attended a NAMI Family-to-Family course and Linda served on the NAMI Spokane board from 2016 to 2018. Her community involvement includes Transitions where she served as Board Chair from 2015 to 2017.

Linda strongly believes in NAMI’s mission and wants to work in extending the reach of NAMI Spokane as it increases programs to serve a broader part of our community.

Rob McKinney

Member-At-Large

Rob McKinney started his career in mental health counseling by obtaining a M.Div. with an emphasis in Pastoral Care and Counseling at Lincoln, IL. This is where he first developed his passion for the counseling profession. Since then, he has obtained his M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Eastern Illinois University and earned his Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at Kent State University.

Rob moved to Spokane in 2018 when he started working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counselor Education at Gonzaga University. Rob enjoys working as a counselor educator because he gets to instill a passion for this profession into his students, teach and foster counseling skills, and engage in both research and service opportunities.

Rob’s research interests include multicultural considerations in counseling, counseling work related to LGBTGEQIAP+ individuals, and counselor development. Within these areas, Rob has published several peer-reviewed articles and has presented at local, state, regional, national, and international conferences.

Aside from research, Rob is proud to be a member of the American Counseling Association, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (both the national division and the Washington state chapter). Rob also serves as the Chapter Faculty Advisor for Gonzaga’s chapter of Chi Sigma Iota (Gamma Chi Epsilon), the international honor society that values excellence in the counseling profession. In addition, he is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate and a National Certified Counselor.

Rob is proud to offer his services to the larger Spokane-community through NAMI Spokane. He believes in the empowerment of all people effected by mental health concerns. He is passionate about education, advocacy, and supporting those within the Spokane-area and beyond.

Shane Garcia

Member-At-Large

Shane Garcia was born in Santa Fe, NM and is a member of the Hopi Tribe and Kewa and Acoma Pueblos. Shane was raised on the Hopi Reservation and Kewa Pueblo Reservation. He moved to the Pacific Northwest Region in 2001 and graduated with a Masters in Social Work from Eastern Washington University.

Shane has a wealth of knowledge and experience working in various fields across sectors. He currently works as a Behavioral Health Therapist with the NATIVE Project in Spokane, WA. He is instrumental in the organization of Gathering at the Falls in Spokane. Shane has a passion for supporting individuals and families living with mental health conditions and substance use disorders. He enjoys working with all age groups and ensuring they have access to the support they need and do not face stigma when they are reaching out for help.

Shane is excited to bring his experience, passion and culture to NAMI Spokane. When Shane is not working you can find him training for triathlons, running, spending time with his kids and family, attending cultural community events, reading, and playing pickleball, basketball, softball, and volleyball.

Amy Griesel

Member-At-Large

Amy has been on a journey of recovery since graduating from Mental Health Court in 2016. Amy then took the NAMI Peer-to-Peer course and realized she wanted to walk alongside those seeking support and recovery. She continued to build upon her passion to help others and became a Certified Peer Counselor. Amy has since been nationally certified as a Peer Support Specialist. She went on to create a peer program within the judicial system and is now doing the same within a hospital setting at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital.

Amy serves on several boards as a subject matter expert and enjoys educating others with the same tools and skills she has developed within her recovery process. She aspires to build further peer support programs and transform the system from within.

When Amy is not working to build peer support systems for those living with mental health conditions she is facilitating groups to help promote growth and healing and spending quality time with her three children. Amy is passionate about the mission of NAMI Spokane and looks forward to making a lasting impact for those living with mental health conditions.